Alumni Council Fall 2023 Summary
The Alumni Council met on campus Wednesday, Nov. 8 through Friday, Nov. 10 for its fall meeting and many members stayed on through the weekend to participate in the fourth Multicultural Reunion weekend. President Bernard Jackson ’86 presided over the meeting, which was attended by 24 members of the Council, including 6 new members joining for their first meeting.
Alumni Council photo taken during the Fall 2023 Alumni Council meetings.
The following is a summary of the meeting:
- President Anne F. Harris met with the Council to provide a campus update including a discussion and overview of Knowledge Into Action, the new strategic plan approved by the Board of Trustees as part of their fall meeting as well as an announcement of the new Alumni House, a campus-adjacent property that has been purchased by the College and will have a soft launch at Reunion 2024.
- The Council welcomed Leslie Turner Bleichner ’07, Assistant Chief Diversity Officer, Community Training, Education & Belonging, who led the Council through a discussion of their participation in the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). This work engages the commitment of the Council for intentional and sustained anti-racist and DEI work alongside the faculty, staff, and Trustees of the College who are also completing the IDI.
- Trustee Julie Gosselink, president and CEO of the Ahrens Foundation, met with the Council to share highlights of the Board’s work over the last year and to invite discussion about opportunities to enhance the connection between the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Council.
- Each of the working task forces and committees of the Alumni Council met and presented updates on their work for this year. With leadership from Past President and Committee Chair Robert Gehorsam ’76, the Council approved a slate of 15 alumni for receipt of a 2024 Alumni Award to be presented at Reunion 2024. Notably, the Council also voted to remove the attendance requirement historically in place for Alumni Award recipients given the increasingly global alumni community. The membership development committee commenced its work to recruit 4 new members to join Council in 2024. Interested alumni should complete an application by January 5.
- The Council reviewed and discussed the outcomes of September’s International Alumni Listening Sessions held over three sessions with alumni from across the globe.
- The Council engaged in many campus activities. From leading the national anthem at Wednesday evening’s basketball game when the sound system went down to participation in Thursday’s Convocation lecture to dinner with alumni members of the faculty and staff to a dessert and networking reception with students, members focused much time this fall on increased Council visibility and connection to the campus community.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Our thanks for your continued interest in the work of the Council.
Warm regards,
Bernard Jackson ’86, Alumni Council President
Jayn Bailey Chaney ’05, Director of Alumni and Donor Relations